Spirits of the Earth

Randal Barlow hummed softly as he finished cleaning up the shop. Business had slowed down, and the orange light of the sunset trickled through the ceiling windows. Taza had already gone home- she said she needed to take an afternoon nap.

Finally finished with sweeping, Randal leaned the broom against the wall. He took a step back and admired his handiwork. "Ok, so the shipment of mustard seeds has been put away, I've watered all the plants, and I've swept the floor. The safe and the basement door have both been locked. Is there anything else I need to before I close up?" Looking around the room and determining that he had no more odd jobs to do, Randal turned around and began to walk towards the door...


Randal quickly spun around to see that the broom had fallen over and knocked the pot of aloe vera off of it's shelf. Shards of pottery and soil littered the floor. "Aw, come on!" Randal yelled. "I just cleaned up!" Rushing over to the broom, he hastily began sweeping again. "Stupid stupid stupid! This the worst! I'll have to re-pot this too!"

Just then, the door chimes jingled. Randal froze. "A customer? Come on! Not now!"

The labyrinth of side streets and back-alleys outside the blue orchid always had its share of mischief makers and drunks after sunset, but tonight was different. Zantaric itself was livelier than usual. There had been a mage-duel up near one of the big houses on the hill, with wisps of black smoke still visible against the orange sky. And for the better half of the evening pairs of goblins in heavy armor were stopping travellers at checkpoints. They were looking for a boy.

Ewan let out an audible sigh as he ducked into the flower-shop, planting his back to the door. It was good to be indoors. A boy wearing stockings, shortpants, and a silk shirt - even if they were soiled and burnt - was going to stick out in Zantaric. It was just a matter of making a new wand. Or finding one. The little sorcerer snapped back to reality and looked around the shop, which seemed more of an indoor jungle. At a glance it seemed abandoned, though he hear movement behind one of the shelves.

"H-hello?" Ewan called out in a small voice. He turned the corner, letting out a gasp and jumping back as he came face to face with... a scruffy boy, about his own age, though quite a bit taller. Just a kid. That could be good or bad. Won't ask questions like a grownup - adult - at least. "Oh! Hi! Um, do you work here? I gotta buy a kind of flower..." he trailed off, fidgeting, eyes darting around the room.

Randal set down the broom and was about to rush out and greet his guest- but his his guest ended up greeting him instead. Well, "greeting" probably wasn't the right word. "Stumbling upon" seemed a bit more accurate.

The customer was a young boy, a bit younger than Randal- or maybe he was Randal's age, and simply hadn't gone through his growth spurt yet. Either way, Randal seemed to tower over him. The boy nervously asked about buying a flower, and Randal smiled. "Aww, I bet he's getting it for his mom or something. That's sweet."

Randal nodded. "Yeah, I work here every day!" he said excitedly. "We're actually closing soon, but I think I still have time to help you!" Randal began to walk towards the shelf with the most colorful flowers on it. "Now, is this flower for a birthday, or is it for another occasion?" He looked back and shot the boy a sly grin. "A girl, maybe?"

Ewan turned an alarming shade of red at Randall's smirk, screwing up his face with reflexive revulsion. "It's not for a girl! I need a special kind of flower. It's got to be a blue. And it's got to have been planted under a full moon. Its for a wand. And I am a sorcerer! So if you... lie I'll make you into a frog," he added, a faint smile crossing his face.

The boy's gaze flickered over the shelves and displays. There were roses, orchids, and ropy cacti from Essryn and colorful (and toothy) flowers from yet further south. He sured hoped they'd have stems fit for a wand. Of course this wasn't Serendipity...

The boy became very flustered at Randal's suggestion, and was soon threatening to turn him into a frog. Randal's eyes widened. "A sorcerers apprentice! But that's awesome! You're lucky, I only know one spell..."

Randal's ears flushed red, and he quickly shook his head. "No no no! That didn't sound professional at all!" Clearing his throat, he tried to get back to business. "Um, you'll need to be a little more specific... There are two blue flowers that need to be planted during a full moon. Did you want shimmer lilies, or violet gibbous?"

"I'm nobody's apprentice. I know all sorts of magic already," Ewan added officiously, sounding quite a bit more pompous than he meant to. It would be a shame to escape a witch's mansion only to lose to an 11-year-old at fisticuffs. "One spell's still more than most anyway. I bet you're... a... floramancer?"

His face went back at Randall's question. Was there a difference? He just knew it had to be planted beneath the full moon because that's when the Otherworld touches ours. And blue because blue is the color of knowledge and stuff. Interspection. Introspection! "Um, I don't know? What sorts of flowers do people get for wands? I never even heard of a Violet Gibbous. It sounds cool? Because shimmer lilies are expensive, right?" spoken like a true master of magic.

"Nope!" Randal beamed at the boy, happy to be able to show off. "I don't know what kind of 'mancer I am! I think Lady Hildegarde called me a..." The boy paused, trying to remember the exact term. "A synchromancer? I dunno, it sounded super fancy though!"

"Ah! Focus! I gotta focus!" Randal thought. "Um, right. Well, violet gibbous is typically used for alchemy and stuff, so it's probably shimmer lilies you're looking for." Randal grabbed a nearby stool and walked it over to the correct shelf. "It's not that expensive..."

And then the boy's heart sank as he reached the top shelf. He looked as his customer, an apologetic look on his face. "Um... Do you need the wand, like, now? Because we're all out of shimmer lilies..."

Ewan's shoulder sagged at the bad news. Gosh his shirt was stiff! "I kinda needed it for today.  How long is it gonna to take to get more? Does someone just need to go out to the woods and pick one? Because I can pay extra!" It seemed important not to sound too excited and over-eager. He thrust a fistful of baubles from his pocket toward Randall with an eager smile. There was gold necklace with a green stone set like a flower, a little bronze horse figurine, and a silver ring with writing on it. That was everything he snatched, but so long as he had the wand gold didn't matter.

From outside there was a loud crash, and a screech of pain.

***

"Piss-n-shit you ugly cock-mongler! Get snide with me and I'll chop off that fish-tail, and diddle your ma with it!" came a gravelly voice. Through the dusty window panes a short figure in blackened plate, a dwarf in-fact, was working over a dragon-man of some sort. A pair of smirking goblins gripped it by the arms.

"S-saws nothing!" it hissed.

"Reckon ya should have said so, eh?" the dwarf, Narlis Thordane, slammed his fist into the drakollis' gut and it collapsed with a shriek. "Angsar's ass. Check this street, boys." The dwarf turned away, and the goblins fanned out to the various storefronts. One of them, with Thordane, toward the Blue Orchid.

***

Color drained from the boy's face as he watched the scene from afar. Randall's words fell on deaf ears. "Oh no!" Ewan hissed and darted back behind a shelf, which nearly toppled.

"Um..." sad Randal, looking at the trinkets the boy had shoved in in face. "Uh, I don't think I'm allowed the accept payment in jewelry and stuff..." He scratched the back of his head. "You'll probably need to pawn that off somewhere..."

The was a commotion outside the window as Randal spoke. The young florist paid it no mind- stuff like this was normal in Zantaric. "I'm pretty sure we'll need to order more shimmer lilies from our vendor in Adela..." Randal said apologetically. "It could take-"

Suddenly his customer squeaked in fear and hid behind the shelf of mushrooms, nearly knocking it over in the process. "Hey!" Randal exclaimed. "What gives?" Turning around, he saw a man approaching the shop from outside the window. "Calm down, please!" he said as the door began to open. "If you're rude to another customer, I'll kick you out!"

Turning to face the door, Randal gave his biggest grin. "Welcome to Blue Orchid, home to all the colors of the rainbow! How can I help you today?"

Oh no no no! Ewan's heart was pounding. It was so loud surely someone must have heard. The boy had scuttle beneath a table on the other side of a shelf, and sat clutching his knees to his chest. A rush of cold air filled the room as Thordane entered, giving both Serenian boys a sickly chill. The mercenary was clad in iron. The metal had a tendency to drink down magic like a sponge. Ewan remembered learning it made magic do weird stuff underground and cool mutant mushrooms and worms grew near it. Why was he thinking of that now?

***

Narlis gave a snort of annoyance after passing a display rife with pretty smells and bright flowers. What use were pretty plants that died in a week? What sort of MAN would waste coin on such a frivolous gift? A nice black kettle, or a good sharp cleaver, is what a woman needs. Before him stood a grubby kid grinning like an idiot. The dwarf raised a bushy eye-brow and stared at Randal with incredulity until the boy caught on. The net-wielding goblin who came toddling after, known as Dogstink, seemed to find this hilarious and struggled to suppress a cackle.

"Ain't the flower-buying type, runt. I'm Narlis Thordane, captain of the Grimguts. Saved this stinkpit from a dragon last month. The hero of Zantaric they call me!" Some weeks ago a feathered rainbow dragon had been seen in the hills showering travelers with healing rain and good fortune. The "menace" had since been sold to an Essryni sultan. Narlis forced a smile. Tobacco stained teeth and squinty eyes did not make it an especially heartwarming. "I'm with the guard, in a manner of speaking. Official business!"

"Yup!" Dogstink stood at attention and gave Randal a mock solute.

"A little shitstain, uh, whelp about your age has gone missing. The name is Ewan; he's got fair skin, light hair, fancy clothes. His ma lives up on the Peak and is worried sick ya see." Zantar's Peak was one of the nicer districts. It was home to slavers, sorcerers, and exiled nobility. The Peak was more a collection of fortresses than homes and one of the few bastions of "law" in the city. "Boy's a mage and can't control his power. If ya catch him chasing cats, pissing into letterboxes, or whatever you brats do best give a shout. Ya wanna be a hero, aye?"

Randal continued to smile as the iron-clad dwarf spoke to him, although it was clearly forced. The man gave off an oppressive vibe, and it gave the young boy the chills. Or maybe it was his armor that was doing that- it was very hard to tell. "Taza says I should always be polite and helpful to customers..." Randal thought. "But this guy isn't a customer. What do I do?"

"The hero of Zantaric they call me!"

As if on cue, Randal's entire mindset shifted. The boy gave the shorter man an odd look. It wasn't quite admiration, but it couldn't be called disdain either. This was a good guy- the toughest good guy in Zantaric, apparently. Randal's hand clenched into a fist. "I'm going to beat you." he thought, a determined glint in his eyes.

The dwarf was looking for the boy who was currently hiding behind the shelf of mushrooms- Ewan, he said his name was. "If a good guy like this is looking for him..." the young florist thought. "Then Ewan must be a bad guy too! And bad guys stick together!"

"A boy with fancy clothes?" Randal asked, tilting his head to the side. "I saw him run past here half an hour ago! He had a big bag of stuff with him, that's how I noticed." Walking over to the window, he pointed. "He went that way, towards Ettin Street!"

"Ettin street, eh? Thanks kid. Ya did good! Might be fit to hold my beer some day." Narlis chortled, flicking a copper coin in Randall's direction. It bore the tarnished face of some old king who died on the Serha plains. It was a fine thing to be good at killing, be rich, and watch scum grovel in hopes your greatness would rub off. It never got old. "Come on, Shitace. Its Dogstink ain't it? Well come on, Dogstink. Let's hope they got someone to tan the brat's hide when we get him back." The Hero of Zantaric, and commander of the Grimgut Company, turned and clanked his way out the door. An assortment of thugs clad in spiky armor rallied to him, and marched off.


***

Ewan let out a loud sigh and slumped to the floor. His head was swimming. "Thanks for not telling," the boy gave Randal a weak smile, brushing some of the dirt from his short-pants. It was a silly thing to do because they were already ripped and muddy.

"Its not my mother who wants me back. The lady is a witch, you see, but she was stealing my magic so she could stay younger forever and making me work in her garden and-" There was hardly a point to giving him that mouthful. What could a boy in a flower-shop really do? Gossip spread fast among kids; all his friends would surely know soon enough. "Well if you don't got a wand for me I'd better go! Unless you got some spare clothes? I'll, um, give you that ring for them?"

Being at the mercy of an eleven-year-old florist was more embarrassing than being captive to a witch, really.

Randal waved as the man left. "Thank you sir! If you ever need flowers, we'll be here!" When he was sure the dwarf was gone, he turned around, a smirk on his face. "Ha! Take that, hero! Bad guys win!"

Ewan then emerged from his hiding place, attempting to explain what was "really" going on. Randal motioned for him to stop. "It's ok, you're among Friends here." He beamed. "You really got the hero of Zantaric after you? That's so cool! I never get to meet other bad guys my age!" The boy bounced on his heels excitedly. "What did you really do? Steal something valuable? Assassinate somebody?" He shook his head. "Whatever it was, I bet it was awesome!"

"I-I'm not in trouble! I'm a transmutationist, not a kid, and they took my magic and I can prove it and-" Ewan crossed his arms defiantly. The little rant was cut short when Randal's words sunk in.

"Wait wait wait... you're a bad guy? What do you do? Trample flower patches to sell extras?" really, the boy needed to screw up his face to stop from giggling. For an aspiring villain the kid sure was... sunny. "Sorry. Um, my name's Ewan by the way. Nice to meet ya."

Randal quickly locked the door and closed the blinds. "If that hero comes back, he'll know I lied!" Walking back to Ewan, he beamed. "I'm Randal! And I don't step on flowers, that'd be dumb." The boy's grin grew a bit wider. "Naw, I help to sell drugs! My older friend Taza runs her real business here, we just pretend to be flower people because it makes us look good!"

Randal snickered. "Okay, now you gotta tell me what you did! Big shot heroes like that guy don't just go after anybody you know!"

"Oh, potions and herbs you ain't suppose to have? Ya mean Like Wendroot and Aetheril?" There was a lot you weren't allowed to grow or bring into Serendipity. Wendroot spores could grow inside a person, bore their way into the head, and make them suggestible if not slaves. Aetheril incense thinned the veil to the spirit realm. What kinda store was this? The boy was awful cheery about peddling poisons.

"Well once this evil priestess was trying to stop me from doing magic and she had magic too and was beating me in a wizard duel so then I cast another spell that put a seed inside her and then she hit me with a fireball and I think I died but then the seed inside her grew into a copy of me and then it killed her and I came back to life!" arms flailed wildly as he tried to explain the mage duel through gestures. As Ewan thought about it he had done some amazing things. Maybe nothing malicious, but he was still great. "I can reverse ageing too! Oh, and once I stole a horse.

"So, um, do you think you can help?"

"Whoa!" Randal said excitedly, eyes lighting up. "You really did that to her? That's nasty!" He grinned. "Awesome!" The young florist bounced on his heels. "We sell this one plant, fenshade, that corrupts your soul if you eat it! And we sell opium, and deathblooms, and datura stramonium too!"

Randal crossed his arms. "You don't need to worry about that guy- I have Friends in high places." The boy grinned. "I bet Sarah or Griselda could totally murder him!" He scratched the back of his head. "We'd just need to go ask my boss for permission first..."

Fenshade. It was forever ago that Ewan was in Serendipity chatting with alchemists by the river. Since going south it was nothing but nightmares and tears. Well... tears just once. Only once. It was nice to have a friendly face around. "Aw man it worked out amazing! So what do you do with all that stuff anyway? Just who buys fenshade and datra stramamium anyways?

"And I-I guess killing him would be awful nice! But she'd need to fight a whole army to save me and I bet that won't he free because there's like a bounty on my head because I'm magic and-" a tiny hand slapped his forehead. Dumb! Randal's boss right want him too. "You know if I changed my clothes and got a haircut I bet I'd be good..."

Traveling without a wand was stupid though. A kid might go unnoticed in the alleys of Zantaric, but the roads were rife with slavers. Could end up a cabin bit for pirates, or chained to a grain mill, or worse...

"Bad guys buy it, that's who! And I have some spare clothes at my apartment!" Randal said excitedly. "And Taza cuts my hair sometimes! We can ask her, if she's not asleep!" He looked down at Ewan, head tilted to the side. "The clothes might be too big though. You're a lot smaller than me."

The young florist walked over to a large pot of chamomile on the floor. "I can get us to my place without even going outside, too!" he bragged, lifting the pot and moving it to the side. " You don't have to worry about that guy seeing you!" The boy grabbed a small handle on the floor and pulled it up, revealing a trapdoor. "We have secret tunnels, see! We're the only gang in Zantaric who has them mapped out! I think..."

Ewan blushed at the thought of Randal's guardian, or older sister, or whatever she was confining him to a stool and cutting his hair. "I'm not that much smaller than you..." he rocked onto the balls of his feet, tracing a hand from a protruding cowlick to Randal's forehead. "See?"

The boys scrambled down a crude ladder and into the catacombs below, leaping the last few rungs. There was a loud splash as Ewan landed in a puddle of stagnant water, crushing a fungal polyp. "Ew! Yuck!" he darted back, screwing up his face in disgust. "Uh, sorry. So which way?" The world around them was dim orange, thanks to the flickering lantern nearby. Zantaric's underworks, at least in this district, were more of a roughhewn cavern than a proper aqueduct. Loose, mold-slick bricks lined the walls and a thatch of roots and fungoid hyphae dangled from the ceiling. It was dark, moist, and already the tunnel branched in three directions.

The echoes of running water and muffled voices, whether from above or beyond, made it difficult to hear.

Randal climbed down the ladder after Ewan, closing the trapdoor behind him. "Careful!" he called to his new friend as he landed in the muck. "We grow stuff down here! Some of this is valuable merchandise!"

The boy carefully stepped down from the ladder, taking a deep breath. The air in the tunnel was cold and damp, and always smelled like mildew. "Um..." Randal said, looking at the fork ahead of them. "It's left, left, straight." Randal began to walk ahead, running his hand along the slimy tunnel wall. "Come on Ewan, we gotta keep together! Taza says bad stuff happens if you get separated down here!"

"I'm coming! Its just that its getting in my sock and everything..." Ewan splashed after Randal with a stilted gate. Each step was horrible and squishy as filthwater leached into his stockings. "And you weren't gonna try and sell me some plant grown in a sewer were you? And do you grow Mycodentia? They don't actually have teeth but its actually spikes and they trap things and then they melt them. Oh! And how'd you get to working at a flower shop anyway..."

On the very edge of his perception beneath the splashes, drips, and echoes, Randal heard something. It was a ragged, breathy panting just inches behind the boy as if following him very close. It might have been Ewan. Of course, when he turned around the little wizard was sloshing along several meters behind...

"Aw, don't be like that!" Randal said as he sloshed through the tunnel. "This place is gross, but it's like, fun gross!" The boy grinned as he felt the grimy water in between his toes. "I think we sell something like those, yeah! But ours have eyes and make noise..."

Randal was about to tell his friend how he came to meet Taza, but the sound of ragged breathing from behind him got him to stop. He looked behind him. "Um... Ewan? Are you okay? You didn't accidentally inhale something funny, right?"

"I don't think so. Why? And I guess you're right. Fun gross!" An impish grin washed over Ewan's face, and he reached down to slide off the stockings, twirling one around like a sling. Why the hell was he playing in old well-water? Then again, if you're stuck forever as a kid you'd ought to have some fun, right? Laughing, he lobbed the slimy linen toward the shadowy boy further ahead. "Probably gonna end up with mushrooms growing out of your hair now!"

The hot breath and raspy whispers were gone. A keen eye might have noticed faint ripples of water trail off down a darker tunnel...

Randal shrieked with laughter as the slimy sock hit the back of his head. "Ahahahaha! Oh come on, surprise attacks aren't fair!" He spun around, scooping up a wad of sludge from the ground and flinging it at Ewan. "Haha! Now you'll need a haircut and a bath!"

"Eegha!" came as a shrill cry as Randal returned fire. Errupting with peels of laughter, the boy ducked down a nearby tunnel. His skinny chest rose and fell, heart pounding. Gosh, it was as fun as when he beat that dumb Amazon witch in a wizard duel. And he got to turn her cat into a lion that ate her!

This place was just a grid of tunnels, wasn't it? Just has to double back around and he'd get Randal from behind! Slowly and steadily, and trying not to splash, Ewan creepy twice and thrice around a bend. Ahead a small figure was huddled against the wall. It must be Randal. "Sneak attack! whose the big villain now?!" he roared, pelting him with mud.

Randal continued running down the tunnel, laughing hysterically. Scooping up another wad of sludge, he spun around to throw it at Ewan...

...But his friend was nowhere to be seen. Randal swallowed nervously. "Um, Ewan?" he called out, eyes wide. "Hiding isn't part of the game, we could get lost down here..."

A cry coming from down a side tunnel caused the boy to jump. "Oh no! Ewan!" he shouted, barreling in the direction the voice had come from. "I'm coming, hang on!"


Porcelina Juárez was not having a good day. Not only had she been commissioned five paintings of her boss's room -the most bland, uninteresting thing to paint, she'll have you know- but her mother had cancelled their dinner plans together due to a particularly bad stomach virus. As if that wasn't bad enough, the half-dwarf had been unable to get any work done because that obnoxious Sarah girl had been pestering her all day. Porcelina had finally given up and come here- the tunnels were one of the only genuinely quiet places in the city.

The woman sighed, leaning against the damp tunnel wall. "Porcelina do this, Porcelina do that." she muttered angrily. "Paint me like one of your Adelan girls, Porcelina! Gods, I fucking hate-AAH!"

A screaming child had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, pelting Porcelina in the face with muddy water. Fuming, she took off her glasses and attempted to wipe them off on her dress. It only made them streaky. Scowling, she stared at the child for a moment before loosing her temper.

"You imp!" she screamed. "What is the matter with you? I'm telling your parents about this!"

A hoarse gasp escaped the boy's lips, and color from his cheeks. His victim was not much taller than him, but big enough, and very temperamental. "Oh-my-gosh-I'm sorry!" It was hard not to giggle. She wasn't some robber or crazy person, just a stuffy librarian dripping with muck.

"I got money to get you cleaned. See?" grubby fingers probed his vest and short-pants for stray coins or jewelry. Not a penny. Wide, stormy eyes darted frantically in search of an escape route. There were lots of tunnels but all were dark and frightening, but in the distance he'd heard faint splashes. Randal seemed clever even to make a diversion. Ewan raised his voice, shrill as ever, trying to draw attention. "I really thought you were someone else. Honest!"

Porcelina stared at the boy, glowering. "Really?" she asked snidely, quivering with anger. "And who, exactly, did you think I-"

"Ewan!"

Looking over, Porcelina saw Randal splashing through the tunnels towards them. "Of course he's a friend of Taza's brat." she muttered. "Porcelina, why weren't you polite to my adopted son and his friend? You should be nicer to people, blah blah blah..." 


Randal sloshed over to his friend, who was currently cowering in fear of some kind of muck monster. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was just Porcelina. The young dealer stood in between the two, arms outstretched. "Porcelina, don't yell! It's rude, and Friends aren't rude to each other!"

Ewan tried really hard to conceal his smirk as his new friend gave the dwarf a scolding. He giggled anyway - there was no sense in not having fun as a little shit. Or imp as it were. Good thing Randal was more polite, especially for a so-called villain. "I really did think you were Randal in the dark. But its good mud if all those mushrooms can grow in it, hey? It'll stop you getting wrinkly!" It probably was awful to be a mousy little dwarf, and get humiliated by two small boys.

Oh no! Porcelina's eyes flickered in the dark. The dim red coals reminded him of Thordane, madly hewing down treants and spriggans through the flame and smoke. Dwarven clans were tight-knit. Would she talk? The boy visibly stiffened, grin fading. "Do you two know each-other?"

Porcelina growled at Ewan angrily, her eyes twitching. "You miserable shit! You can't treat an artist that way!" she thought, balling her fists. "Who the fuck are you? You're nothing!"

The dwarf opened her mouth to tell this to the child, but he spoke up as soon as she did so. He seemed almost frightened of her now- "Good." Porcelina straightened up, looking down her nose as the boy. "Tch. Of course I-"

"She works for Lady Hildegarde too!" Randal interrupted excitedly. "She's our, um..." He looked at the woman, momentarily confused. "Our... Our... Um..."

"Artist!" she finally snapped. "I'm an artist! Gah, you have no respect!"

"So you forge paintings for something?" the boy chimed in, trying his best to seem interested. But paintings and sculptures were so dull! You admire them for a minute then they collect dust forever. At the dwarf's incessant scolding Ewan crossed his arms in a defiant pout. The ridiculous, stumpy legged, pinch-faced bitch wasn't going to let up! "We said we were sorry. You don't need to be such a b-bi-buttface and keep yelling!" he cringed, wishing for the courage to say worse.

"And you should show me respect! I'm- I'm a great wizard!" who was some dumb ugly girl who painted useless paintings to tell him what to do? In a display of Eldritch power Ewan extended a hand. A phosphorescent rose sprouted from the boy's palm, casting foxfire over the catacomb. The rose stood erect for a few moments before wilting into sludge... leaving behind a filthy boy holding a rotten plant. The little wizard stood tall, trying his best to appear majestic.

Porcelina erupted into shrill laughter at the sight of Ewan's magical flop. "Heeheeheeheehee! Is that really your best?" She pointed at the boy derisively. "And you're calling me a buttface? Ha!"

"Okay~! We should really get going now I think..." Randal said with a nervously. He gently grabbed Ewan by the shoulder, leading him away. "Bye Porcelina! It was nice talking to you!"

As soon as the dwarf was out of earshot, Randal let out an exasperated groan. "Ugghhh! Why does she have to be so rude!" He shot the other boy a frown. 'I'm really sorry about that. I thought your magic was neat..."

The fuming boy sneered at Porcelina's shrill, nasal cackle.That stupid ridiculous pig girl porcine-lena was going to get her face stuck to ass and her arms turned into crab hands and she'd have to shit out her mouth and she'd never paint again and oh she was really going to get it now! Stringing those vile epithets into a threat, and working up the courage to make it, was a timely affair. There's no rushing art. Real art. But by the time Ewan finished his comeback Randal had tugged him round the bend.

"Thanks. But you don't need to lie. It was pretty dumb. I was much better when I had my books and staff. So what is synchromancy? I went to wizard school eight whole years and never heard of it.

"And, uh, sorry if I got you in trouble..." He jabbed the flower-boy in the arm with a timid smirk. At the end of the corridor a halo of torchlight filtered down through a ceiling a grate.

Randal opened his mouth to answer Ewan's question, then faltered. He stopped walking as the two boys reached the grate, resting his hand on the rusty ladder. "Wait..." he said, his eyes wide. "You went to school for eight years? But you look younger than me!"

"Uh..." Ewan chewed his lip, mulling over how to get around the slip-up. Telling his story was just horrible; mostly he wasn't believed or got scolded like some dumb kid anyway. "I'm a bit older than a look. See, I was making a spell that reverses aging and makes you regenerate and stuff. Like eternal youth! It just worked real, real good..." The boy puffed out his chest as he explained, looking pompous. And why should he even feel embarrassed? There wasn't a shit-eating wizard in all Le'raana who came close.

"So what's synchromancy?" it was only polite to ask.

"Ohhhhhhhhh..." Randal said, nodding. "So you're like that flower, rafflesia rejuvinatio? Cool!"

"That's gotta be a lie." the florist thought privately. "But saying that out loud would be really rude..."

Starting up the ladder, Randal grinned. "So, synchromancy is like, playing tag. Except, except, you get people high on drugs!" Pushing up on the grate, the boy clambered out of the tunnel and into a back alley. He reached back inside, offering his hand to help Ewan up. "So, like, if I take a drug and then touch you, you'll get high instead of me! Cool, huh?"

"Yeah! Rafflesia rejuvinatio's where I got the idea! I just made a spell that makes you part plant and some other stuff, just in real tiny ways." Ewan blathered on, full of excitement. Usually no one wanted to talk about fun things like plants that turned back into saplings or lizards without teeth that spit acid onto people and sucked up the goo.

"Sounds kind of like blood magic. Except instead of, um, hurting yourself to mend people you transfuse poison." Cheerful as Randal was about synchromancy it seemed liable to get him killed or worse. A gang of thieves would hardly have his best interest at heart. Ewan was a grown-up, adult rather, and should set the boy straight. "But you're gonna get sick taking all that stuff!"

Zantaric was a good deal quieter than it had been. Or, at the very least, the Grimguts needed to negotiate entry into the seedier districts. Far in the distance two fighters, with one lantern and one leashed to a slavering worg, meandered through the muddy street. Luckily a thick fog had settled over Zantaric. The two small boys, in the shadow of a neatly kept boarding house, went unnoticed.

"I'm not gonna get sick! Honest!" the boy said defensively. Who did Ewan think he was? Randal's dad? The young dealer's expression visibly soured. "How am I supposed to be a bad guy if I don't do bad stuff?"

Peering around the corner of the apartment building, Randal sighed in relief. The coast was clear except for a single person- Joan O'Reilly was leaning against the wall, guarding the door as she usually did. "Okay." he said, motioning for Ewan to follow. "We're here. Follow me, quick!"

Walking up to the door nonchalantly, Randal nodded to the hooded woman. He was met by a raised eyebrow, and when he tried to open the door he found himself being blocked by a ghostly arm. The boy's heart skipped a beat, and he gave the guard a frightened look. "J-Joan! You can't keep me out! I live here!"

"Simmer down, pipsqueak." Joan said, blowing a stray hair out of her eyes. She motioned to Ewan. "You're gonna need to tell me who that one is before I let him in. Last time you made a new friend they turned out to be a psycho."

Randal's ears went red. "Um..." He looked at Ewan for help. "He's a wizard?"

Four archers, four axemen, and Toad followed Narlis from Zantar's Hill into the Shitholes. They were his best killers. A fight with the Friends, or any gang really, would be a disaster. City would be ruined and he'd be out a job and a few hundred slaves. Still, Narlis intended to win any fights that broke out and that meant going armed. A not-so-secret part of him wanted it. "Ey Toad. Clean my axe, will ya? Don't want these snatchsniffers to get the wrong idea." The lizardling he roughed up earlier had some friends. Some raggedly men with knives had to jump him after, all with dog tattoos. Narlis cracked their skulls well-enough.

The Grimguts made a show of approaching the Friends' Boarding House. Too subtle and it might seem like war. Narlis gave the surly girl watching the door a leery smile. "Got ourselves a bounty here! You and yours ever laid eyes on a thousand Serenian suns? Its a pretty sight. Ya can buy a bath to wash the shitstink off, maybe eat some meat that ain't rat.

"Lady Isaura's lost one of her wards. His name is Ewan. Small, pale and spotty. Reddish hair like a girl. The runt also pisses magic and will make a stir if he ain't looked after. He's slick. Older than he looks. We're paying for him back, you like gold, and that's that."

***

Ewan's heart sank. Randal seemed on the verge of throwing a fit; these sorts probably did push him around for fun. Though he didn't seem any worse for it besides an eerie eagerness to be a villain.

The little wizard stepped forward. Now he was going to have to explain it all, again, to a skeptical grown-up. Adult! "My name's Ewan. I got slavers looking for me, and Randal said I could hide with you guys maybe? It will only be for a few days. I really am a wizard! I could mend you when you get cut up, or make you look pretty, or make your plants grow real fast!" The boy gave a shy smile, eyes just slightly downcast, in his best efforts to look helpless and winsome. That usually helped dodge trouble. But between the tattered clothes and layer of mud, Ewan looked looked more like some horrible little goblin.

"Or make your plants grow real fast." Joan finished, cutting the boy off. She snorted, crossing her arms. "So you're the wiz kid that Gnarly is looking for? Figures." The spectral hand disappeared from the doorway, and she motioned for the two boys to go inside. "Go on then." she said, a demented smile on her face. "Antagonizing him should be fun. I've been looking for a reason to kick that guys ass."

Giving Joan a thankful (albeit frightened) smile, Randal opened the door and motioned for Ewan to follow. The entrance hallway was dimly lit as usual, causing their shadows to look like those of horrible monsters rather then children. "Come on!" Randal exclaimed as he walked up the dark staircase. "Me and Taza live on the second floor."

Ewan gave Joan a blank stare. It was a really dumb idea to tell everyone his business. The whole city knew! "Well, um, thanks!" he scampered after Randal, leaving a trail of muddy footprints behind. Between the creaky old floorboards, and shadowy interior, it seemed unlikely anyone would notice.

"Next time she pushes you around you should chew some Fellroot. Makes everything look like daemons. Oh! I know a potion hat turns someone into a chicken and makes them lay an egg. I call it Henshade. Drink that and poke her! And why's she so surly anyway?" the boy cackled with a wicked grin, forgetting when and where he was.

"Ewan- pffft!" Randal whined, giggling despite himself. "That's- hahaha- that's mean!"

Reaching the second floor, Randal hurried down the hall. "It's this one!" he said, pointing at Room 204. "This is where me and Taza live! Come on!" The boy opened the door excitedly...


"... So you should definitely find a way to grow cranberries at your shop, yeah."

Taza Faah sat on her couch, staring intently at the boy across from her. In the week he'd been here, Taza had found herself getting increasingly attached to the younger Von Musel. The healer had proven himself not only to be good at herbs, but at cooking too- one of the drug dealer's favorite pastimes. "I don't know, Eckhart." she said, smiling. "I like the idea, but we'd need to miniaturize an entire bog. That's... Difficult to do."

Eckhart frown, scratching his head. "Maybe Porcelina could-"

"Taza!"

The woman looked towards the now open door to see Randal and another boy walking into the room. "You said you were gonna take a nap, not talk to Eckhart!"

Taza rolled her eyes, grinning. "I did take a nap. Then I woke up and started talking to Eckhart. Calm down."

Eckhart narrowed his eyes. "Wait... Ewan?" The healer blinked. "I thought you were going to Arca! What are you doing here?"

"Well me and another kid did end up going to Arca. We got separated and some bandits tossed me in a cage. Then I got sold to a witch called Isaura; she stole my magic and made me pull weeds. Me and this elf-girl did a spell to make her garden carnivorous! We escaped, and here I am." Ewan beamed with excitement, counting off the legs of his journey on stubby fingers. Now that he was safe, or felt safe, it all seemed like some fun adventure. Muddy stockings squished across the floor to greet his friend. "But how did you get here? That stupid, smelly -  um - that cat stole you away. I wanted to follow. I would have!"

Only then did Taza and Randal register. The boy offered a sheepish, gap-toothed smile, "Sorry. My name's Ewan. I was just going to trade Randal this necklace because I need fresh clothes. I hope its okay." He spread his arms as if the tattered silk shirt and pantaloons spoke for themselves. Somehow it felt right to frame the whole thing as a business transaction, rather than Randal doing him a kindness. Poison-peddling florists probably have something to prove, after all.

Eckhart blinked stupidly. "Sweet Ansgar, he's been through as much as I have..." The healer scratched the back of his head. "Um... Well first, I, uh..."

Taza held up her hand, motioning for him to stop. "If you'll excuse me..." She glanced at Eckhart, who nodded. "You said Isaura made you pull weeds?" She smiled warmly at the boy, not wanting to scare him. "It's really sweet of you to want to trade your necklace, but... You'll need more than fresh clothes to stay hidden."

Randal bounced on his heels. "That one dwarven hero guy showed up at the shop looking for him! I made him leave though, heroes don't deserve flowers."

Taza gave her apprentice a worried look. "Good job! I'm proud of you, that was a smart move." Randal's ears flushed red, and the woman focused her attention back on Ewan. "Do you have a home you can go back to? Someplace safe?"

"Wouldn't have escaped without him!" A playful punch in the arm served as a thank you to Randal. "You're not, uh, suggesting Eckhart rearrange my face or anything are you? Because I reversed her magic-stealing brand. Randal said you might be able to help me get a new wand? I could fight her off easy with it.

"And that necklace isn't mine. I stole it." Ewan gave a proud little smile, as if having tended sheep on his own for the first time. It was pretty good for someone who never had to resort to trickery before, really. Being a kid on your own is hard. "I'm from Serendipity but I can look after myself. I'm way older than I look, and a pretty great mage. Eckhart can tell you." Besides the whole cow-tree hybrid Eckhart could mostly vouch for him, right? He said smart things, and made all those tree roots come alive to stop Belladona.

Eckhart gave Ewan a confused look. "Rearrange his face? What in Ansgar's name is he talking about?"

Glancing over, he saw Taza looking at him, one eyebrow raised. "So..." she said. "How do you know him, exactly?"

The healer scratched the back of his head. "Um, I met him around the time I met Bella... I was gonna make him my apprentice, I think?" He looked at Ewan sheepishly. "Ah, you did kinda botch that one recipe and get us chased out of town..."

Eckhart suddenly crossed his arms. "Wait, are you still telling people you're, like, thirty something?" He shook his head. "Sweet Ansgar, that's gonna get you in trouble someday..."

Randal stamped his foot on the ground. "Nuh-uh! It's not gonna get him in trouble if it's true!"

Ewan rolled his eyes with a long, impatient sigh. Okay. Maybe he hadn't left such a strong impression on the meek healer. At least Randal believed him. Though the loyalty of another kid against a pair of grownups was hardly helpful. "How should I prove it, then? Do you want a magic trick? Or how about a joke?

"What hangs at a man's thigh, and wants to poke the hole its often poked before?" Ewan's wicked grin melted away almost immediately. The boy was red enough to be an apple, withering beneath the stares. "Its, um, a key..." In theory it seemed a fine way to prove the little wizard was mature and respectable.

Taza gave the boy a very stern look. "Ewan, we don't tell jokes like that here." she said firmly. "It's rude." 

"Taza, I don't get it." Randal said, brows furrowed. "Of course it's a key! Why is that funny?"

"The joke went flaccid." Eckhat said flatly. Almost immediately he covered his mouth with his hands, face flushed bright red. "Oh Ansgar, did I say that out loud?"

Taza glared at the healer, arms held up as if to ask what was wrong with him. Finally she sighed, and gave Randal an exasperated smile. "I'll explain when you're older." Focusing back on Ewan, her smile grew more reassuring. "Now, do you have someplace you can stay? You got a little distracted there, bucko."

Ewan smirked at Eckhart, but found himself wilting beneath Taza's gaze. "But you and Randal sell-!" the boy cut himself off, not wanting to let on too much. But really, they sell and smuggle dangerous plants but can't a joke?!

"I'm from a mage school called Wyrdwood, and my family's in Ravensway. I'm supposed to be seeing the world and mastering life magic." There was no way he was going back to school, or home for that matter, not like this and not yet. "So I guess I don't." The little wizard heaved a sigh, eyes downcast, mostly for a bit of sympathy. He was hungry and wanted clean clothes.

Taza smiled gently. "Wyrdwood, huh? That's a long ways away, you must have had quite the adventure!"

Eckhart scratched the back of his head. "Y'know, when I first got to Serendipity I actually looked into Wyrdwood. I'm way too old to attend though..." 

The drug dealer shrugged. "If it's any consolation, what little I've heard about the school's culture makes it seem really competitive- you'd probably hate it there." She returned her gaze to Ewan, biting her lower lip thoughtfully. "Unfortunately I'm not the decision maker here, but I suppose you could ask Lady Hildegarde about tagging along with us for the time being."

Randal flashed a smirk at Taza, then broke out a huge grin. "Aw, Ewan you should totally do that! It'd be, like, a sleepover! I've always wanted to have a sleepover!"

"Sure you don't want a demonstration of my magic? You can go to Wyrdwood and you'll see I'm telling the truth!" Ewan flashed a wicked grin at Eckhart, tracing the shape of an arcane sigil in the air. "And you can join Randal's party for that matter." The poor kid could use a friend, and really, he was good company. Ewan recalled his neices and nephews being annoying by comparison...

"And I could really stay on for a bit? I just need to lay low until I can get some money and a proper wand. Bet that dumb dwarf will just forget me. I won't be any trouble. I could help Randal with your garden, or, uh..." A faint look of concern crossed his case. One more no and he might get turned out again. "So I'll need to ask, um, a Lady Hildegarde? Does she own your shop?" How else to ask if she sold their illegal herbs?

Eckhart chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm fine, but thanks anyway."

Taza smiled gently. "Randal, why don't you show Ewan upstairs? Hildegarde shouldn't be too busy, unless she's..." The woman paused, as if trying to pick the best words for what she was about to say. "...spending quality time with Timothy." she finished, half-smirking.

Eckhart squinted. "Um... isn't his name Thomas?"

"His name is Todd!" Randal exclaimed, albeit looking very unsure of himself. If Ewan would allow it, Randal would take him by the hand and lead him out the door. "C'mon! She's nice, I'm sure she'll like you!"

"Tell her that you're a friend of mine!" Eckhart called after them. "I garuntee she'll let you stay if you do!"

Quality time with Timothy. Ewan had an inkling of what they meant, but thought better of asking as he padded after Randal. "Thanks for sticking up for me," he offered a smile. "Not many kids your-, uh, -our age around Zantaric? Or does being a big villain scare them off?" Or more likely Taza kept prying eyes away. She was too young to be his real mother.

The pair tromped up the creaky stairs and down a hallway. His heart started to pound. What if he got her mad? What if she gave him to Narlis and he got sold to some witch who kept him in a cage forever?! Ewan came to a halt, fidgeting a little. "Um, what's she like anyway? I just tell her I'm Eckhart's friend and it will be fine?"

Randal beamed as the two boys went up the staircase, thinking of how great having a friend his age would be. "Now I'll have somebody to play marbles with!" he thught excitedly. "And my chores won't be as hard because Ewan can help! Oh Kia, this is gonna be so awesome." 

He turned to face the young wizard, walking backwards down the hall. "You don't gotta worry about a thing!" he said cheerily. "She's super friendly, even Porcelina likes her!" Stopping at room 313, he knocked on the door excitedly. "Lady Hildegarde!" he called. I made a new friend, Taza says you gotta meet 'im!"

A loud *clunk* could be heard from the room, as well as hushed whispering. After a minute, the door opened to reveal a blonde young woman in a frilly pink dress. Her normally well groomed hair was looking rather disheveled, and her dress was slightly wrinkled- as if it had just been on the floor moments earlier. She smiled at the two boys, a warm glow about her. "Hello Randal~!" she sang cheerily. Her gaze fixed on Ewan, and her smile grew. "And who might you be?"

Ewan's eyes widened at the sight of Hildegarde. She looked nothing like he pictured. No scary scars, no tattoos, no eyepatches, no knives strapped every which where, and that dress! Were these really criminals? And oh gosh her hair had she just-!? Ewan burst into uncontrollable , nervous gigglese sight of her. Stop laughing dumby!

It took a sharp poke in the back by Randal to shut him up.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Ewan. Um-," deep breath. Slooow. "I just escaped from a witch called Lady Selwyn, but she's got some guys after me. I bumped into Randal and he thought I could tag along with you and your, um, friends? I'm a wizard and bet I could  help somehow! It's just until I get money to travel."

His eyes darted in a panic from Randal to the young woman. It was real stupid to laugh. And then it hit him. The fine face. The fair hair. "And Eckhart said to say we're friends. I know him from way back. are you guys, um-?"

Hildegarde's mouth thinned slightly at the boy's laughter, then perked back up. "You don't know what he's laughing at." she reminded herself. "He's a kid. He probably just thought of a joke or something." Randal gave her a wink, and a rush of understanding washed over her. "You clever little shit. You got him to think that joining up was his idea, didn't you?"

She ran her hand through her hair, smoothing it out. "Well, that's no good." the gang leader said, eyes twinkling. "Any friend of my kid brother is a Friend of mine." Turning around, she walked inside her room, motioning for the two boys to follow.

Hildegarde's living room was unusually plain, considering her status. It had the basic necessities- a couch, a small kitchen, and a wine cabinet. Watercolor paintings hung from the walls, all of them depicting landscapes of some kind. A desk with a large chemistry set sat in the back of the room, bubbling peacefully. Pink throw pillows lay on the floor and couch. A single stick of incense burned slowly on the kitchen counter, giving the air an oddly sweet smell.

Waltzing to her desk, Hildegarde flopped into her chair. She propped her feet on the desk lazily, arms behind her head. "Take a seat, guys." she said, motioning to the pillows on the floor. Randal immediately sat down, beaming happily. The pink-clad woman looked at Ewan, one eyebrow raised. "So, Selwyn huh? I know her, nasty piece of work. Just nasty. Who'd she send after you? The Black Crows?"

Ewan toddled slowly after Hildegarde and Randal, taking in her quarters. It was all so ordinary. No loot or plunder at all. Big blue eyes lingered on the chemistry set before awkwardly taking a seat on the throw pillow. His stockings were dry but the boy had the look of a doll dropped int the mud.

"I didnt see her much but her familiar was real mean. He made me take and clean and tried to turn me into a mouse! I barely saw Lady Selwyn but she put some weird mark on me that took my magic away." The boy flailed his arms, retelling the adventure as if some exciting story. "It's the Grimguts who are after me. They're pretty scary and have lots of magic stuff. Busted down all the treants that helped us escape. I don't even know if Lady Selwyn is alive! Some greedy old dwarf leads them. Wears chopped off dragon wings. Randal's seen him! Gnarly or something?

"I bet they just want to sell me." His voice almost beamed with pride. It was kind of nice to still be important enough to kill over. "Not that you gotta pay them off. But I really can help! Like with your alchemy! Is that, um, essence of dryad?" he craned his neck to gawk at the chemist's set; it was hard to tell but the room kind of smelled nice...

"Ugh, Narlis?" Hildegarde threw back her head, an exasperated groan escaping her lips. "Another piece of work. Fuckin' magic items and potions up the ass." She crossed her arms, glancing to the side. "Seriously, who actually carries potions around with them? Cheaters, that's who!"

"And Joan." said the teenage boy at Hildegarde's side. "Joan carries potions."

The pink clad woman huffed. "Yeah, don't remind me..." Straightening up, she gazed at the rather mucky looking boy in front of her. "Hmm. Yeah, I could probably find something for you  to do." Her demeanor abruptly seemed to shift. "Hey, how do you feel about killing?" she said, sounding incredibly serious. "Like, murderering other kids and stuff." 

Randal gave the woman a knowing smirk, then looked as his friend expectantly...

"I was a great duelist at Wyrdwood!" Ewan beamed at Hildegarde's remark. "I mean I guess you're allowed to use weapons you don't smith, but you ought to use your own magic. It's a thinking game!"

The boy almost did a double-take when the teenager showed up. How could he forget Hildegarde had a... guest? But at her question his stomach fell. With eyes wide as saucers he glanced from Randal to Hildegarde. Oh-gosh-what-do-I-say? His cheeks and ears were on fire, heart pounding. "Um, well-I'm-really-not-very-big-and-my-magic-isn't-so-strong-anymore-and-" Deep breathe. It was just a silly girl who smuggled things, and he was still a great wizard. If he was big he'd implant those modified gut-worm eggs into everybody and they'd explode into copies of him! The little sorcerer pursed his lips in defiance. "And I don't think that's such a good idea. I could help deliver messages or clean or something?"

Randal beamed excitedly, throwing his hands into the air. "Woo-hoo!" he cheered. "You passed!"

Hildegarde gave the muddy boy a smile. "That's perfectly fine. Besides, I'd have given you to Narlis if you said yes." The woman glanced to the side. "I don't like it when people hurt kids."

Randal rocked back and forth on his pillow, grinning. "Ahahaha!" he laughed. "Oh Kia, I've always wanted a Friend my age! This is so cool!"

The pink-clad woman chuckled. "Don't get too excited. We still need to think of a good job for him..." She gave Ewan a curious look. "What sort of 'mancy did you use at Wyrdwood?"

Ewan sighed in relief at the laughter, color rushing to his ears. What if the person who hurts a kid is also a kid wouldn't they be hurting kids too then if they sold him to a slaver!? But then he wasn't really a kid. So did that count?

"Like I showed Randal I'm an animancer! I can make stuff grow, or turn people into animals. Here, let me-" His arms spread wide, prepared for an invocation, but halted. "-well I'd better not. I'll need a proper wand since I'm small now. But I could do potions, or disguise people, or make your plants grow fast!" The little wizard puffed our his chest, all proud. They'd be super lucky to have the best sorcerer in all of Le'raana, and he'd get a new wand and be back on the road in no time.

Hildegarde's face paled slightly, though she retained her cheerful grin. "An animancer?" she thought worriedly. "But that's what Fluffmuffin told me Ecks really was..." The woman blinked, standing up gracefully. "And he says he knows Eckhart? Curious..." She stepped forward, beaming at the boy. "Why, that sounds perfect!" she exclaimed happily, clapping her hands together. "If you can grow plants, then I bet Tiffany will have all sorts of things for you to do!"

Randal crossed his arms, pouting. "Aw, what? But Taza could use him more! Come onnnn!"

Hildegarde chuckled, ruffling the boy's hair. "Aw. Ewan can help you both, 'kay?" Upon seeing Randal's face perk up a bit, she continued. "Now, could you take our new Friend to Tiffany's room? I'm sure he'll be thrilled to bits!"

Ewan beamed at Hildegarde's bubbly enthusiasm, trying to hide his smile so as to look somewhat dignified. She looked like Eckhart, but wasn't nervous or sweaty at all. "Well I don't just grow plants ya know. I can do other stuff too. I'll help with anything, really!

"But whose Tiffany?" a look of brief concern crossed his face, eyes darting to Randal for reassurance this Tiffany, whoever she was, was safe. This pouting child was his closest friend and confident now, the little wizard supposed. At least he was friendly!

Randal beamed "Thank you Lady Hildegarde! You're the best!"

He shot one last grin at Hildegarde before walking to the door, holding it open for his new Friend. "Tiffany's the cleanup guy!" he said cheerily, only a little jealous that Ewan would be spending his first few days with somebody else. "He's really nice! He paints stuff too, but not like Porcelina does. Like, he paints Taza's nails for her sometimes!"


Hildegarde watched the two boys walk out the door, smile fading from her lips. Taking a deep breath, she leaned back on her desk. "Sweet Ansgar, why did he have to be one of those?"

"An animancer, huh?" Terrence said, stepping forward. Noticing the look on Hildegarde's face, the teenager placed his hand on hers. "Hey, it's gonna be okay. You're past that, remember?"

Hildegarde gave her boyfriend a pained smile, pulling him closer to her. She stroked his hair gently, allowing herself to relax. "I know, Terry. It's just..." She shut her eyes tightly, then opened them again. "No matter how many times I say that... I still don't want it."

Terrence frowned, and pulled himself up onto the desk next to her. "I don't think he does either. You remember what happened last time somebody tried to-"

"Yes, but that was Kaida. You were in the room with us that one time, you remember what she was like."

Terrence scratched the back of his head in embarressment. "Yeah, that's true. I honestly thought Porcelina had dyed her hair white at first."

The gang leader snickered. "Aw man, now I wanna introduce them..." She shook he head. "Gah. All I can do is wait now, I guess." She looked at the teenager longingly. "Terry. Terry, help me take my mind off it."

The boy smirked, and pulled the girl into a kiss...

Just what did a cleanup guy do? "You mean like getting rid of dead-" color drained from Ewan's face at the thought. By then Randal had tugged him through the door. "-By Lady Hildegarde and thanks!" The little florist had to poke his arm for the last bit.

Once more they were pattering through the halls. "So what does this guy do? How does he paint nails and get rid of, um, dead people? I'm not afraid or anything. Just don't know if I could really hurt people for money." The boy felt almost bad saying that. They did admit to smuggling and stealing, but everyone had been so nice so far!

"And if he does paint nails why hasn't he sone yours?" The little wizard took one of Randal's hands, dirt caked nails and all, holding up with a grin.

Poking Ewan's arm to make sure he thanked his new boss, Randal led the boy down the hall. His eyes widened as the boy held his hand, and he quickly pulled it away. "Um, please don't hold me like that. I don't like it when people touch me without asking..." He shook his head, shooting Ewan a apologetic look. Was it mean to say that to a new Friend? Randal blinked uncertainly. "Sorry. I've had... things before..."

Deciding not to dwell on bad thoughts, Randal forced himself to smile. "Tiffany cleans up all the dirty stuff on our turf! The dead bodies are just one part, he gets rid of garbage too!" He put his hands in his pockets, as if he was worried Ewan would grab them again. "He also repaints the run-down buildings so they look nice again! Lady Hildegarde can't decide on the shade of pink she wants ours to be though..."

Ewan canted his head, trying to conceal a look of surprise at Randal's discomfort. It was easy to forget the flower boy was, after all, some sort of criminal. Or being used by them at least. His life before this mustn't have been easy. Was it really so easy now? "Sorry. I didn't want to scare you. Were you sick or something?" But that wasn't quite right. He seemed spooked.

"Do they take care of you good here?" the boy dropped his voice to a whisper as they neared the Tiffany's quarters. "They don't make you do any of that? I mean I wouldn't mind, I don't think, but you're a real kid."

Randal shook his head, feeling a mental block starting to form in his mind. "S'fine..." he said quietly. "Taza won't make me do stuff I don't like..." Why was Ewan asking about this? Couldn't he just drop it? It wasn't nice to ask about, especially after he already changed the subject...

Randal abruptly stopped in front of Room 317. "We're here..." he said softly. The boy knocked on the door. "Tiffany? Lady Hildegarde has somebody she'd like you to meet!"

"Oh! Come in!" an effeminate voice called from inside. Opening the door, Randal stepped inside of the overwhelmingly pink room. The smell of freshly baked cookies filled the air, causing the boy's mouth to water. Fluffy pink beanbag chairs took the place of seats. Everything in the room was completely spotless- as if any dirt and grime had left of it's own accord.

Tiffany Starbrite stepped out from behind the kitchen counter, wearing a pink apron with a flower design on it. "Hello! I just baked snickerdoodles!" he said cheerily, beaming at the two boys. "You can have some once they've..." He trailed off, blinking in shock. "Why, you two are all muddy!" the young man exclaimed. "That's no good! Are you both okay?"

Ewan stared slackjawed at Tiffany. Was this all some joke? This spritely young man, and his plate of cookies, just had to be. Almost immeiately the boy burst into peels of laughter. This was definitely a bad time to laugh, especially since Tiffany seemed so nice, but Ewan just couldn't help it. It took clapping a hand over his mouth to stop giggles from escaping. "Um, sorry! Randal just said something funny." A nervous pair of eyes looked to his new friend to confirm the story. Of course it would probably be a scolding for being rude instead...

"Can we start over? My name's Ewan. Hildegarde thought I could help you with stuff, I guess." Ewan extended a gruby hand to shake. It was mostly clean, really, except all that dirt between his nails. "I'm an animancer and Randal and Hildegarde thought I could help you with... stuff. Maybe I could magic yp some pretty flowers? Or bugs to eat stuff you don't like?

"Man I bet if you combined a bonestripper beetle with a Kishahn stag beetle that could finish off a whole dead dragon in, like, thirty seconds!" He mused cheerfully.

Randal shot the smaller boy a glare as he laughed, crossing his arms angrily. "Ewan!" he hissed. "You're being rude!"

Tiffany, however, simply gave Ewan an knowing smile. "Aw, it's fine!" he said warmly. "Randal's jokes are really funny!"

The young man set the tray of cookies on the counter, and began to wipe a mixing bowl with his hands. "This is really exciting though!" he said, flour and egg disappearing as his hand moved over it. "There's so much I gotta do to get the place cleaned up! You have no idea how much I appreciate the help!" He turned to look at the two boys, beaming. "You two can sit down if you like! cookies she be cooled off soon!"

Ewan scoffed, narrowing an eye at Randal. "It's not rude! I just wasn't expecting, um-" his ears turned red. Maybe it was a bit rude to laugh. Tiffany did bake cookies after all. The smell of cinnamon and warm dough was distracting. His tummy, stomach rather was rumbling at the sight. Ewan stuffed one into his mouth without hesitation. "-thanks is what I meant to say.

"Sho wuff do ya need me to do?" He took another cookie, speaking between bites. "I'ma mashter wizard."

Randal sank into a beanbag chair, snickerdoodle in hand. Tiffany's apartment always had a very cozy atmosphere to it- second only to Taza's room, in his opinion. "Ewan has animal-mancy!" he said helpfully. "I bet he could conjure up a bunch of goats to eat the trash on the ground!"

Tiffany sat down, beaming happily. "Ooh! That does sounds helpful!" he said. "But what I really need is somebody who's good at washing windows!" The waifish young man gave Ewan a unexpectedly intense, serious look. "Do you know that when windows are dirty, innocent people can die? It's true you know."

Randal giggled, and gave Ewan an expectant smile...

"Its animancy! And I wouldn't summon goats, they smell horrible." Ewan cracked a smile at the probably-deliberate mispronunciation. He moved to poke Randal in retribution but stopped, remembering...

The little wizard's mouth fell open at Tiffany's words. "Gosh!" he groaned loudly, throwing his head back, "The witch I escaped from made me mop and scrub and rake. I'm so tired of dumb chores. I can do all sorts of magic for you if I had a proper wand. Really! I can do all sorts of things. Maybe turn into a cat and be a spy, or turn someone's spit to mushroom juice to poison them, or if your face gets cut I can fix it. All of that and more!

"You oughtn't treat me like a little kid, anyway," with crossed arms the boy slumped into the plush chair, taking an aggressive bite of the cinnamon cookie.

"Ewan!" hissed Randal, eyes widening. You're being rude again!"

Tiffany waved his hand dismissively. "It's fine! I think we could come to a really nice agreement, actually!" The pink-haird boy clasped his hands together. "I clean everybody's windows for them, so I kinda have an idea of what the... layouts of peoples houses look like." Tiffany's eyes twinkled at this, and his smile seemed to grow a bit sly. "But there are a lot of windows up high I can't reach! If I had somebody who could turn into, say, a monkey..." He trailed off.

"Ohhh! I get it!" Randal said, grinning excitedly. He really shouldn't have worried- Tiffany's ability to diffuse conflict was nearly unmatched. "Ewan see? You'll totally get to do cool stuff!"

Ewan's expression softened at Tiffany's and Randal's smiles. "Sorry. You don't need to go stroking my ego. I'm supposed to be laying low anyway. If ya need me to wash windows or sweep the street its the least I could do." A grubby hand shot out to shake Tiffany's, accompanied by a sheepish grin.

"So, um, what should I do now? I don't really have a place to stay. Oh and you really don't mind me sprouting wings and stuff? I suppose I could use a ladder but what's the point of magic if you don't use it?" Well it was terribly expensive and he was meant to lay low...

***

The woman might have been twenty or thirty or forty, pretty or ugly judging by the angle of the fire, though some meat on her bones might have helped. Her voice barely broke a whisper. "So you want to find a boy? A simple trade. What do you-"

"Cut the shit. Boy's worth coin. I got coin."

"Then he will cost whatever you earn. What would be the point? I know you and what you're really after..." the hoarse voice tried to sound playful.

A snort of exasperation broke Narlis' lips. Ironclad fingers fell to a dagger hilt. This prancy nonsense wasn't going to scare him or eat up his time. The dagger was made of bronze and its hilt carved from a shaggabeast horn. It was a useless thing, really, but owned by a centaur chief. The horse men were worse than Duhjari and useless shits. The key was to use a weather mage and moor them in mudslides. With piss poor arrows they lose their advantage. Breaking his hooves, one by one, was glorious! But once a man starts clinging to old war stories he'll be up thrice a night to piss, or pretending girls half his age want anything besides his coin-purse. Not yet.

"A trophy for a trophy." The priestess took Narlis' dagger. As she did so the memory of the centaur chief dimmed. Was it sweat or tears around his face? Was he really begging, or was it a ploy to take a final stab at the victorious commander? New memories, alien and not his own, wormed their way in place of the old. Two little things wrestling in the muck of an old catacomb. One small and bright the other tall and dark. So close they come to the jaws but not yet. There is a sickness on one, a rotten scent, but the other smells good. Very good. A fine meal! But it's too late and he has gone to the fire.

Tiffany beamed back, gripping Ewans hand tightly. When the handshake ended, the boy would see that his hand was now spotless. "I look forward to working with you!" the pink haired man said enthusiastically. "I promise it'll be fun and not boring at all, kay?"

Randal let out a sigh of relief. Thank Kia Ewan hadn't thrown a fit! "Well..." he said, grinning slyly. "We could ask Taza if you could stay in our apartment! I've never had a sleepover before, I bet it's super awesome!"

It was the first time in a few days Ewan didn't have dirt on his hands. It felt nice! Oh shit he got it all over Tiffany didn't he? Cocking his head to give his new bosses hands a looking over: they were
spotless. "Wait did you do that? Can you, um, do the rest of me?

"And maybe Eckhart wouldn't mind letting me stay? We do know each other. And I don't want to, um, bother Taza..." It would be nice to talk about proper magic wirh an adult for a change. He'd mostly met criminals, freaks, or other kids in his travels. Randal was surely very nice, but an early bedtime and non-stop babbling about those Monster Mash cards would erode whatever remaining dignity Ewan had left. But Randal looked so hopeful and wouldn't stop grinning.

"Or I guess I could stay over..." It was hardly forever anyway.

"Sorry Ewan..." the sparkly young man said. "It only works where I touch. It'd... be weird." He clapped his hands together. "Besides! I'm sure there's a bath in Taza's room!"

"Yeah, come on Ewan!" Randal said, walking to the door and holding it open. You don't wanna sleep in Eckhart's room y'know. He has this nasty cat he hangs out with, she's scratched me like, three times!"

The boy shuddered at the thought of Ewan covered in cat hair, like Eckhart always was. How did Bella shed so much when her fur was patchy to begin with?! It made no sense...

That would be weird. Though if he had cleaning magic why did Tiffany need Ewan as a helper? Oh. Right. Can't go wiping his palms on every surface in town. "I'll see you tomorrow I guess!" And with that Randal was tugging him out the door. It wouldn't be so bad, really, it wasn't like he'd need to be a pickpocket or something.

"He's still got that awful cat? I was there when he found her. Tricked him into making her his familiar, and then 'ported them away! Of course I almost caught with her tentacles. I don't know how she was able to slip away. Got a good gob of slime on her, though.

"I bet he smells even worse now." He snickered quietly as they went.

***

The boys, once again, were in Room 204 of the Boarding House. "Hi Taza! Hildegarde said I could help out, but Tiffany hasn't got room for me so I was wondering if, uh, I could stay? I don't want to impose or nothing. You've been real kind so far. And I won't make any trouble for you really. I'll just be helping clean stuff, I think."

Ewan gave Randall a panicked nudge, "Uh, Maybe you should ask?"

"No."

"What!" whined Randal, giving his guardian his best attempt at puppydog eyes. "Come on, Taza, we have room for him on the couch, right?" he said. "You aren't really gonna make him live somewhere else, right?"

Taza rubbed the bridge of her nose, sighing. "Look... It's not that I don't want to help, I really do. It's just..." The woman lifted her hands to her chest, as if she were holding something they couldn't see. "I just don't think we physically have space for you."

This excuse was only partially true. Before Eckhart had left, he'd mentioned Ewan's supposed age- a fact that worried Taza. The slight possibility of the boy being a predator in disguise wasn't one she was willing to take at all, so there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell she was about to let him sleep in their apartment- at least not until she had a better sense of what Ewan's nature was.

Taza smiled gently, though her eyes were cold. "Why don't you ask Kauz? I'm sure he'd appreciate the company!"

The boy crossed his arms and emitted a long sigh at the prospect of meeting another of these strange criminals. A bath and a blanket was all he really wanted. A cupboard or out of the way corner would do fine. More than that was the look in Taza's eyes. Mostly Ewan was either babied or ordered about. He'd gotten used to that.

Then there were people who saw the putrid blood magic beneath the ginger boy's exterior. Big blue eyes and a button nose were unlikely to  change her mind. Ewan could see the unease in her eyes. After all there was enough floor space, and furniture, for him to stay a few days. "Fine. I'll go see this Kauz guy. I don't even mind a closet to stay in. But if I was really that scary, or horrible, I would've grown giant and thrown that dwarf into the sewer! Or made your shimmer lily sprout feet and stolen it! but I haven't done any of that.

"I-I just need a little help..." He narrowed an eye at Taza, crossed his arms in a huff. "Its not like I'm selling poison plants..."

"E-Ewan!" Randal whispered in a panic, shoulders going stiff. "You can't talk to adults that way! It's inappropriate!"

Taza sighed. Maybe she was being too harsh? It was a complicated feeling. "Ewan, calm down." she said, gaze softening a bit. "We're not going to make you sleep in a closet. You'll get a bed like everyone else here. Just... not in this room."

"What has he been through to make him consider sleeping a closet to be acceptable?" she thought worriedly. "That's not right."

Randal poked Ewan's shoulder. "Hey, hey, it's okay! Okay?" he said, he said hopefully. "Kauz isn't a bad guy at all! He, like, literally can't hurt you!"

Ewan bristled at Randal's scolding. Why should he need to stay with some dirty Connlaothian thug? It wasn't like he useless to have around. It was like they weren't even listening when he said he could make their noses not ugly and turn mice into dragons to ride and everything else! "But you've been awful kind and I shouldn't have gotten mad. Just tired is all. I'll stay where-ever you want, I don't want to make a fuss or nothing. I'll be the best little street-sweeper you ever had if it gets my wand replaced.

"But um, if you do got old clothes or hair dye it might be good. That slaver might be looking for me still," he smiled hopefully. They were kind of risking a lot keeping him around. Boys with fancy clothes and red hair weren't exactly growing on trees around here.

***

The dragon-man made a terrible keening noise as the soldiers frog-walked it forward. "Toad! This thing is pissin' me off. My boot on that little ass of yours if you don't work fast."

"Like someone isn't going to smack me anyway." Toad rolled his eyes, hopping down from a crate. The youth's eyes turned from purple to an inky black his his eyes met the Drakollis'. The creature wailed and whined as an alien presence wormed its way into its brain. "Easy. Easy. Just do what you do, beg for Fenshade, and watch that flower-boy. I'll be out of there soon!

"But you better wash those scales. Gosh, they feel gross. Ew!"

Taza let out a bemused sigh. "...Right. Just tired." She smiled kindly. "You're fine. I'm not mad."

Randal relaxed his shoulders, relieved. "I bet I have clothes that would fit!" he exclaimed excitedly. The boy ran into the bedroom, and began to rummage through his drawers. "Wait there, okay?"

Taza watched him go, smiling. "He's never had a friend his age before." she told Ewan quietly. "You... had better live up to his expectations."

"Thanks!" Ewan watched Randal go and turned back to Taza with a hushed voice. The boy had suspicions but tried not to let it show. Randal had seemed oddly nervous before. Maybe he had a hard life? Maybe Taza had kept him on a tight leash so he wouldn't let secrets slip?  "He seems pretty fine. Zantaric ain't safe outside, or something?

"And I was pretty much the best Wyrdwood ever made. I surpass everyone's expectations! I've never ever lost a wizard duel. I've become immortal. I'll be Tiffany's best street-sweeper. And me and Randal will have lots of fun." He offered a cheeky grin, supremely confident.

Taza gave the boy a odd smile, a single eyebrow raised. "I'm sure!" she said enthuesiastically. "But you should still be careful. There's-"

"Here you go!"

Randal had returned, a bundle of clothes in his arms. He threw them onto the couch next to Taza, and began to rummage through them. "Okay, so, I've only been here a year and seven months now, so I don't have anything that will fit you exactly, but look!" He pulled a starch white robe out of the pile and held it up for Ewan to see. "It was my White Lily costume from Hildegarde's Midnight Harvest party last year, but I bet we could make it look all wizardy and stuff if we added sparkles to it!"

Ewan wasn't sure whether to fall over laughing or gently correct Randal's suggestion. He would stick out so easily in a white dress. Was it a joke? Weren't thieves and smugglers meant to be sneaky? And why did Randal choose to be some silly priestess from Connlaoth instead of a monster? But the little wizard had a plan. "Thanks so much! I guess I'll just take some underwear and a tunic too if that's okay for when I clean. But the robe is a great idea! We can, um, even do real sigils on it if you got aetherfern powder." Randal was so earnest Ewan couldn't possibly refuse. Though an afternoon spent smearing paste and gem dust onto a robe did was not what he needed right now. Just the same it might be possible to grub some spell reagents from Taza in the process. She was dancing around giving him stuff to rebuild his wand.

"-and just so you know I'm not that much smaller than you." Ewan rocked onto the balls of his feet to compare heights, wavering a palm between his and Randal's heads.

Randal- who was nearly half a foot taller than Ewan- gave an embarressed smile, ears flushing red. "Right, sorry!" he said sheepishly, pulling a small tunic and briefs out of the pile. "My eyes are, just, um, up high, I guess..."

The boy's eyes suddenly lit up. "Oh! There's a horseradish-y, like, three blocks away! We can get you a wizard hat too!"

Taza covered her mouth, giggling. "You mean a haberdashery?"

"Yeah! That!"

"Well, I guess you are a bit bigger." Ewan mumbled. Randal had conceded so easily when it was, well, weird. His little brother Careyn would fight you over whether or not fire was hot. It made him miss home a little bit. The little wizard had seen incredible things on the road. But he missed having a bed that was really his, eating roast lamb made for.him rather than his money, falling asleep in front of the fire with his sister and brother...

An impish grin split the boy's face at Randal's little mistake. "And we can get some horse-radish on the way to the hat-shop!

"But I guess I'd better get settled in. Um, do I get a key to the room or anything?" He took the bundle and glanced to the door. A ponderous look washed over him and he added, thinking he was sly. "Do ya got that aetherfern by the way?"

"A key..."

Randal glanced at Taza, who gave him an uncomfortable smile. "Ah... we're gonna need to get a key from Kauz' himself." He'd walk towards the door, holding it open for his Friend. "Plants are gonna have to wait..."


A few minutes later, the two boys had returned to the first floor. Standing in front of Room 105, Randal gave Ewan an oddly serious look. "Okay." he whispered. "Don't make any sudden movements or noises, okay?" The young florist reached towards the door, then hesitated. After a moment, he knocked. "Kauz? It's Randal, can I come in?"

A few seconds passed silently, until finally the door opened a crack. A pair of lifeless blue eyes peered at them through the opening. "W-who is that?" came a small voice, eyes settling on Ewan. "I h-haven't seen h-him here before..."

Ewan gave Randal a panicked look, edging backwards. The sallow face and soft voice looked like they belonged to some degenerate necromancer or something worse. Were they really making him stay with whatever Kauz was? His mind wandered back to that look Taza had first given him. In some ways Ewan liked to think he was still dangerous. With the right spell it would be easy to turn into some big dragon and snort fire over Zantaric. Though if he was stuck as this small scrawny thing, and had to pick, he'd rather be seen adoringly than as some monster.

"Um, hi." A tiny hand was offered to shake. It was possible this pathetic looking man was harmless by that assessment. And he was Ewan ap Rhys and could fight or think or magic his way out of anything anyway. "I'm Ewan. Tiffany says I'm supposed to clean the streets. Taza said there's a spare room in here..." Blue eyes darted past Kauz to inspect the room.

Kauzlauric flinched at the boy's outstretched hand, inhaling sharply. Who was this person? His best Friend's name got him to relax slightly, but he remained tense. He slowly reached out his hand, fingers trembling. He was about an inch away when he hesitated. How did he know it wasn't a trap? There was a monster in the woods that turned into people, right? Kauzlauric swallowed, a bead of sweat rolling down the back of his neck. What if the boy had a power like Randal's, and need to touch him in order to...

"*ahem*"

Randal coughed, shooting the man an impatient look. Taking a deep breath, Kauz finally took Ewans hand, shaking it weakly. "My name is Kauzlauric... you can call me Kauz though, I guess..." he murmured. He opened his door fully, allowing the two boys to enter his brightly lit room. "T-Tiffany's okay with you then? I guess you could stay, if he is..."

"Well you would be stuck with me. Is it, um, okay? I won't make much trouble." Ewan forced a smile. Kauz was distasteful no matter which way he looked at it. Either he was a man with no say over who moved into his spare room, or acting shy so Ewan would let his guard down.

The boy tried to peer past Kauz and into what might be his new home. He could make out the shapes of very cruel-looking contraptions scattered about the room. Was this man some kind of deranged inventor? His eyes flickered to Randal, full of uncertainty.

"O-okay..." Kauzlauric murmured. "I-If Tiff can trust you, I suppose..."

"Come on Ewan!" Randal said in a cheery voice, secretly hoping his attitude would rub off on the older man. "There's nothing to worry about, Kauz is harm..." He trailed off as he stepped inside the room, ears flushed red. Calling Kauzlauric "harmless" would have been really rude, given the man's unfortunate circumstances. "Really nice!" he finished. "Kauz is really nice!"

The room was furnished with stiff looking chairs and tables, none of which appeared very comfortable. Horrific looking torture devices lined the walls, each more deadly than tbe last. All of them looked to be gathering dust, as if they'd never actually seen any use. "Um... make youself at home..." Kauz said quietly. "Did you, um, need extra pillows? G-Griselda might have some at her room if you did..."

The boy was in no position to argue. Whatever Kauz was, which was something between a very frightened young man or a complete lunatic, this was the safest place in Zantaric. He toddled after Kauz while Randal scurried off to fetch linens.

The purple-orange of a setting sun filtered through the shutters of his new bedroom. It was bare, but for a tiny cot and an old trunk. A mirror and wash basin had been brought in to make things liveable, and perhaps as a suggestion he'd needed a bath.

The sun had barely set when fell asleep, curled amidst layers of woolen blankets...

***

Ewan passed a mirror as Tiffany lead him outside. The boy looking back was hard to recognize. His wild red hair had been chopped off, and the ancient spells inked into his skin wiped clean. A master wizard should not be wearing a hand-me-down tunic and underpants from Randal.

But really, there was no one to be embarrassed in front of. If you thought about it like play-acting being a sweeper wasn't so bad. Ewan forced a smile, hefted his broom, and followed Tiffany out the door. The sun had barely risen, though Hildegarde wanted her neighborhood waking to clean streets.

"So I just, uh, sweet up this block is clean?" A few broken bottles. Some food scraps. Horse shit. It was gross but not that bad. Maybe an hour tops?

"And how long ago was this?"

Eckhart squirmed uncomfortably in his seat, eying his sister nervously. She'd invited him over for "a quick chat", but it felt more like an interrogation than anything. "U-um..." he stammered, trying very hard to meet Hildegarde's gaze. "Maybe, uh, lare spring? Early summer?" The boy glanced at his feet. "Why? What's it matter?"

Hildegarde crossed her arms, rolling her eyes. "Because, Eckhart, you have a target on your back. Remember?" She blew a stray hair out of her eyes. "You don't think it's just a little strange that two weeks after you get here, another person who says they know you just shows up at our doorstep?"

Eckhart's nose wrinkled. "Well... I mean, I guess..." he mumbled. "But Bella knows him too! She can vouch for him, just ask!"

"Yeah right she will. Bella will throw him under the bus for being annoying, just wait."

His sister sighed, relaxing her shoulders. "Well, I guess I'll need to talk to Fluffopotomus then." She ran her fingers through her hair, frowning at the grim expression on her brothers face. "Look, you know I'm not giving you a hard time for the sake of it. I just need to be sure you're safe."

The boy's eyes closed as he took a deep breath. "Yeah. I know."


"Yep!"

Tiffany beamed, his skin and hair sparkling as the sunlight washed over them. The pastel young man stuck out so much against the drab greys and browns of the city that it almost hurt to look at him. "We gotta get nice and clean so folks don't think we're messy. Then we gotta get the next block, and the one after that." He looked back at Ewan, smiling. "Then we gotta wash the windows, and start putting a fresh coat of paint on those fences over there!"

His eyes suddenly widened. "Oh! And if you see any bodies, let me know! We clean those up too."

"Where'd I miss a spot? Aw that? Really?" Sweeping dung and debris into the sewers wasn't hard work, but an exercise in patience. Tiffany's obsession with keeping the streets tidy down to the last apple-core was grating, but Ewan couldn't bring himself to complain or bristle. The young man was so enthusiastic about it all it seemed mean to take it away. That, and the little wizard had sworn he would be the best streetsweaper the friends ever had. For the sake of spiting Taza he was going to do it, and so he worked hard. "Okay, I've finished!" he glanced up at Tiffany, big blue eyes searching for approval as they rounded the final block.

"So I've been wondering. What do you do when you find a corpse? You actually touch it? You just- do you don't seem the type. Not for corpses and not for thieves' guilds and all that."

***

Darkhun's day wasn't really all that different from any other. Sometimes he got hit. Sometimes he did the hitting. Darkhun was big so he mostly did the hitting. The wretched dragon-man was supposed to beg at the flower-shop today. It was called the blue-orchid and sometimes he would beg for the lady and boy there to give him fenshade. That was until the big one with the little wings hit him a lot. Darkhun never went back since. Now he had to or the dwarf-man would hurt him! But he was just going to sit in an alley, yes? Sit and ask for coins like another day. And so he did.

The creature squatted in a little alley across from the sign with the blue flower, underneath the canopy of a closed corner-store. He wined and hissed at passersby, of course, or the boy would know! He just had to watch. Watch the boy with the black hair whose friend had the red hair. Human children were soft and stupid and ran about together always squawking and screaming. Where there was one there was many. (Oh how loud they screamed! It made him want cover his ears and shriek!)

Randal had found an energetic one, that was for sure!

Tiffany beamed down at Ewan, scrubbing a dirty window with the palm of his hand. The dust and grime seemed to vanish as his hand moved over it- an oddly cathartic sight to watch. "Great!" he said happily. "With you here we got it all done before lunch, too! Normally it takes me until four!"

"And that's a silly question to ask!" Tiffany reached into his pocket, pulling out what looked like a small coin purse. "I just put them in here! Out of sight, out of mind!" His eyes narrowed slightly, though the rest of his expression remained unchanged. "Did you find a body, Ewan?"

There was something of an eager-to-please child in Ewan that made him blush with pride at the young man's complement. "No one dead. And don't be tricky! I mean about you, not dead bodies. You don't seem the type for all this!" He gave Tiffany the stink-eye. Just as quickly the boy's interest flickered to the little sack.

"Oh! A transdimensional bag!" he scampered forward to inspect it, grabbing at it to see for himself. "What do you do in there? Is it just full of graveworms or you just pile 'em up?"

"Oh! Easy there!"

Tiffany held the bag over his head and out of Ewans reach. "You can look, but no touching." he said sternly. "These bags are expensive, and we only have the one." He gave the boy an apologetic smile. "Sorry."

"Is he being a nuisance?"

Tiffany looked down to see Belladonna the cat sitting a few feet away from them. "Not a nuisance at all, no!" he said cheerily. "In fact, he's been very helpful today!"

The familiar licked her paw, and began to clean her ears with it. "Mm-hm." she hummed dismissively. She shot Ewan an odd look. "Eckhart told me you popped up again. Small world, I suppose."

Ewan was prepared to jump up and try and snatch the bag, but stopped himself short of that with a blush. "A nuissance?" he paused, giving Belladona the stink eye. "And what, exactly, are you doing here? After you went and teleported him all around I don't know why Eckhart even kept you.

"If you'd had stayed instead of making me walk all the way through that filthy swamp I could have solved your silly book you know." The little wizard did want a peek inside the tome, come to think of it. Maladies Most Unusual was probably nothing compared to his own talent, but you never knew. That fungoid cow sure was something, after all.

The cat's wiskers twitched. "Oh? Could you have, really?" she meowed. "If you're so adept at curse-breaking, then why haven't you magicked back into the adult you claim to be?"

"Both of you, be nice." Tiffany crossed his arms, attempting to look stern- an expression the young man was too cute to pull off effectively. "If you two can't get along..."

The cat rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah, whatever." she meowed. "I'll drop it if he does."

The boy set his broom aside, glowering at the cat in defiance. "W-well it's hardly a curse! It's just how the spell goes; I like being this way, thank you very much," he really had no complaints otherwise. Not a single physical flaw other than a constant influx of new baby teeth. Those hurt like a bitch and his smile did always have a gap or two. And of course being dirty with hastily cropped hair didn't make his case much.

"If I cared to I could turn into a giant dog and chase you up a tree. I am very good wizard! I worked out a spell to be young and beautiful, uh- cute at least, forever! I can do way more than cow remedies. And if you doubt me? Why don't we have a little duel!" the boy's resolve faltered for a moment. He didn't really meant to say that, did he? Children usually could not reign in their sorcery until puberty, and Ewan was no exception, it was why he needed a wand he did not have. But there was no way he was backing down to some stupid cat! He won seventy nine percent of his bouts as a Blue Ribbon Basilisk. On his third bout he even thrashed that pompous spellsword Kiran and she was five years older! That, and Ewan and had bested dragons as a grownup, and escaped the clutches of a very old hag in his current state.

He cracked a little smirk, bravado returning.

Belladonna gave the child an odd look- a look normally reserved for parents resisting the urge to laugh at their children's mistakes so as not to embarress them. "...Nah." she finally said, tail flicking back and forth. "I don't believe that'd go over very well."

"No, it wouldn't!" Tiffany chimed in cheerily. The young man was smiling as usual, but the twinkle in his eyes was absent. "Remember, Friends don't fight each other!"

Ewan shot the young man a glance, his expression softening. It was kind of cute. What could Tiffany even do to stop them? Wag his finger? Being beautiful or some object of adoration was wonderful, he loved it, but how could you live without any teeth? Being totally ineffective unless people liked you just seemed so awful.

The raggedy boy picked up his broom and resumed sweeping shit from the cobbles, "Its just a bit of fun and proving better. Its hardly going to be the death.

"But I get it. Those tendrils I called ripped apart your barrier in like three seconds.-" the little wizard could not help himself.

Belladonna had opened her mouth to retort, but Tiffany beat her to it. "Ewan, that's enough!" the soft looking boy snapped angrily. "Friends do not discuss power levels! It's rude and it inspires conflict!" He then turned to glare at the cat. "And you! You're an adult, in cat years! You should know better!"

Tiffany would grab Ewan by the shoulder to lead him away. "You," he muttered softly, "...Need to be less confrontational. Especially when you're in this city. Kia only knows how many have lost everything because of remarks like that."

Ewan shot the cat a tiny smirk at the mutual scolding before Tiffany ushered him off. "I know. I'm supposed to lay low and stuff. And I'm really grateful for you looking after me. Its just-

"She's just obnoxious and has it in her head her, and her ridiculous ex-mistress, are better than me. It wouldn't even bug me if Hildegarde also hadn't set me to work cleaning instead of doing proper sorcery! Everyone ought to be all excited to have me around. Its just- embarrassing." His shoulders sagged, not quite done complaining for the morning.

***

After a time nobody saw Darkhun. No one ever did, really, not even when he begged and whined and hissed at strangers. But that was a good thing now! He sat and waited and watched until the woman left the store and no one else went in for minutes and minutes. The filthy lizard-man rose from the midden, shook the filth from his scales, and made his way to the Blue Orchid. The creature ducked inside, letting out a keening screen at the sound of the bell, and snuffled about in search of the boy. "H-hello? HELLO! HELLO?! A FLOWER!

"Darkhun needs a FLOWER!"

Tiffany gave Ewan a sympathetic look, patting the boy on the shoulder. It was no surprise, really- he was just a child after all. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about." he said reassuringly. "None of us think of you as a burden- especially compared to how bad I was when I got here!"

The pink-haired man laughed, as if putting himself down was the pinnacle of comedy. "You'll get a chance to wow people with your magic soon enough! And I'm sure you'll do wonderfully when you do! But for now, let's focus on keeping you safe, okay?"


The lizard-man's voice echoed through the shop, seemingly unheard amongst the rows of shelves and plants. Had Blue Orchid closed for the day? The door hadn't been locked, and there was still loose change and paperwork on the counter. No there had to be somebody here... right?

"Mmm, a flower you say?"

A tiny voice finally broke the silence. A miniscule woman emerged from a bonsai tree being kept on a nearby table, not even three inches tall. The nymph ran her fingers through her leafy hair as if to straighten it, a bored expression on her face. "Were you looking for a certain flower in particular? We have many different species here, as I'm sure you can see."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to be a brat. I'm grateful for you keeping me safe and all. I don't mean to be a whiner." he blushed, smiling wide at the display of affection. "So what were you like before you're joined? I mean you're, uh, already now what I'd be expect-"

There come a loud rumble from the boy's stomach. It was high noon now. Golly! Had he been working all morning? The street Tiffany had assigned him as rather pristine, of course, but just how big as their territory? "-Expecting in a thieves guild member. And, er, excuse me." His cheeks turned red.

***

The lizardman let out a squeal in response to the tiny voice, slitted eyes widening as it danced back, claws raised and frills spread, nearly toppling a shelf! He stood a moment, frozen in fear, before his muscles slackened back into a shuffles hunch. What is this little person? Too little! Could she climb on him and bite his eyes? A wizard? And flowers?! What kind of flowers? Why was Darkhun so stupid? Red flowers? White? But you needed a mate for red? Didn't you?! His heart began to pound, brain trying to weave a plausible story of human social niceties "Is sorry! Scared Darkhun!

"Is looking for white flower. Smell good. Make home pretty!" it snuffled loudly for emphasis, "Little boy said he knew the perfect flower for Darkhun. Had black hair? Was small! Dirty! Had other little friend?"

Tiffany sighed. "It's alright." he said kindly. "You're still learning. As for me..."

The young man paused, an oddly depressed look on his face. He opened his mouth, and then closed it as he reached up to touch his necklace. "Hey." he finally said, as if Ewans stomach had awoken him from a deep sleep. "I think I can handle this next block. Why don't you head over to Taza's shop for some lunch? I bet Randal would love to hear how your first day is going!"


Easter looked at the strange creature in front of her, one eyebrow raised. "Uh-huh." she said, clearly wishing she was somewhere else. "Well, I'm afraid Randal isn't in today. Is there anything I can help you with, or would you prefer to come back tomorrow?"

"But-" he let it drop. Tiffany was a mystery to be sure, but a living one. The flicker of pain across Tiffany's face made the Ewan feel awful about the entire thing.

He began to retrace his steps toward the Blue Orchid. The streets were filled with crowds and caravans now. And suddenly from behind he was shoved aside. It belonged a gangly young woman with a pug nose, and bow slung across her back. She wore a rusty breastplate, far too big,, and her mousy hair was tied back in a braid. "Watch it shorty. Places to be."

"Well so do I. More important than playing soldier anyhow. That your da's armor?" he flashed a defiant smirk, almost a reflex.

"What did ya say?" she stopped, turning to face him. She was tall, with ropy muscles on closer inspection. "Something about how pretty I am?"

The scruffy boy stared upward, taking in her full size. You need to be less confrontational. Especially when you're in this city. Kia only knows how many have lost everything because of remarks like that. "You're- you're very pretty..." No spellbook was bad enough. Ewan was usually able to get along well-enough with an impish smile where magic failed. But with these people? He really was naked now. Just another dirty urchin. It took time for that to settle in.

***

Darkhun's jaw slackened while he pondered the conundrum. He was mad. The black boy and the red boy were meant to be here. Why weren't they?! He wanted to scream and bite the stupid tree-thing. But then he'd get in trouble and get smashed by the lady and her ghost! And he was meant to be a spy. He was meant to be sneaky! "Oh. Will ask for the pretty flower later, yes? Yes! Goodbye!" The lizard-beggar bowed his head in supplication, playing it cool and withdrawing to the front door.

***

He took in his reflection once more in the store window, pausing to draw his lips back into a silly face. It wasn't that bad, really. It was not so different as turning into a bird or a dog. Bells chimed as the door to the Blue Orchid was pushed ajar. "Hullo? Randal? Tiffany let me go early..." a small voice called out...